


I miss chasing down the morning light (and all those sleepless nights)

by Mira_A_Henss



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gay, Long drives, One Shot, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:40:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27212827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mira_A_Henss/pseuds/Mira_A_Henss
Summary: Betty and Veronica go on a long drive. That's it. Follows canon but is basically Beronica. Set somewhere in the first few episodes of Season 3.
Relationships: Archie Andrews & Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper & Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Veronica Lodge
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	I miss chasing down the morning light (and all those sleepless nights)

“God, stop being so damn nervous.” Betty snaps, glaring at her reflection in the rearview mirror and wipes her palms roughly against her jeans. Her reflection glares back at her with an expression that says, ‘Wow, that worked. I’m now magically cured of my nervousness. Thanks.’ That says, ‘Well, I wouldn’t be like this if I knew how to not be like this’ That says, ‘You stop being nervous’.

“We got this.” she says, softening her voice and tightens her ponytail. Her go to move when she’s nervous. Takes a deep breath and flashes the mirror a nervous smile. Tilts the mirror downwards to check her outfit. Wonders if she should have gone with the first outfit of the eight she tried on. She usually wasn’t this nervous, well she was, but when it came to Veronica, she always felt more nervous than usual. More self conscious. More clumsy. More tongue-tied. It felt like she still had to impress Veronica. No matter how much time went on since they first met. No matter how sure she was that Veronica simply didn’t care about things like that. 

Like ‘Yes, look at me, I’m Betty Cooper. The girl next door. Your best friend. Don’t replace me because I can never be like you. Because I don’t deserve you.’ She knows Veronica doesn’t do it on purpose. That she probably doesn’t even know she’s doing it. That she’s not making an effort to be all elegance and grace and wit. It’s just who she is. 

“I know, right?” Archie had said, lighting up when she had mentioned this to him. “She knows which spoon to use at dinner, what to wear to where and what to say to whom. And I just stand beside her, clueless, thinking, damn, how does she do that? How does she make everything seem so effortless?”

And Jughead had scoffed and told both of them to stop fangirling over Veronica.

“It’s Veronica.” she says, aloud, trying to convince herself. “She’s not going to start hating you. At least not because you are wearing the wrong sweater.” 

“Not when there are a dozen other valid reasons.” the voice in her head pipes up and she clutches her head between her hands, willing it to go away.

“Be down in a minute. XO.” her phone chimes with Veronica’s text and makes Betty jump a foot into the air. She smiles involuntarily at the message and shakes her head. 

And there was Veronica. Striding, strutting, floating down the stairs of the Pembrooke. Effortless and yet with purpose. Like she was the heroine of an eighties movie. Like it was the scene where the audience was introduced to the heroine. Like it was the scene where everyone in the audience looked on, mesmerized and intrigued. Betty almost expects someone at the bottom of the stairs who would offer Veronica a hand to help her into the car. An average looking, middle-aged butler with a gloved hand. And Veronica would spare him a small smile in gratitude. Then climb into the car, gathering her long, expensive dress in one hand. 

“Shit. That’s me.” she thinks absent-mindedly and hurries out of the car, bumping her head painfully against the roof in the process. 

“Oh my god, Betty. Are you alright?” Veronica asks, looking up at Betty with wide eyes and rubs her hand against Betty’s hairline, her black duffel bag bobbing along her shoulder like a budding music enthusiast at a concert. 

“Yeah. I’m fine. It’s nothing.” she says, chuckling nervously and Veronica lets her hand fall to her side, stares at Betty with narrowed eyes, trying to determine if she’s lying. 

“Well, if you’re sure.” she says, hesitantly, scrunching her eyebrows together and then throws her arms around Betty’s waist. Rests her cheek against Betty’s shoulder. “Thanks for having me.”

“Yeah. My pleasure.” she says softly against Veronica’s cheek and wraps her arms around Veronica’s shoulders. Rests her chin on top of Veronica’s head.

“See? Nothing to worry about.” the voice in her head says and she rolls her eyes. 

She waits for Veronica to let go and kiss her cheek like she usually does but she doesn’t. Instead just stands there holding Betty tightly, not moving, not saying anything. The first time that had happened, it had been in Ethel’s house. And Betty had been in a bralette, a miniskirt and a short black wig she doesn’t remember wearing. Doesn’t even remember coming to Ethel’s house or what had happened in the hot tub. Only remembers Veronica’s arms around her shoulders after and that she had thought it was raining before realizing it was Veronica crying above her. And that Veronica had wiped the red lipstick off and helped her into her normal clothes and drove her home. Watched from the driveway until Betty disappeared into the house. Watched Betty worriedly for the next week. And never said a word about it to anyone else. 

The second time it happened, it was Veronica sobbing her heart out, the pearls around her neck, the shield and the noose, scattered on the floor, glimmering against the low light of the ladies restroom of Riverdale High. Betty had stepped into the restroom and thrown her arms around Veronica instinctually. She remembers the front of her sweater, wet from Veronica’s tears. And the slow anger, simmering in her belly. The way she had to talk herself down, late at night, from doing anything irrational. Remembers hating Hiram Lodge, a man she had never met, more than she had ever hated anyone in her life. For hurting Veronica. But Veronica had called her then, apologizing for the sweater. She had laughed then and forgot all about Hiram Lodge. Because she couldn’t believe that that’s what Veronica was worried about. 

Betty could smell Veronica’s lavender shampoo, her flowery, expensive perfume, wafting from the girl in her arms. Not sickening but still strong. The way Archie sometimes stumbled into class smelling of Veronica’s perfume. The first time that had happened, Jughead and Betty had given him so much shit for it. And Archie had turned a bright shade of red. And Veronica had simply sat there, smiling smugly. 

“He probably smells of blood now. Maybe he’ll never smell like Veronica’s perfume again.” the voice in her head says and she shakes her head, trying to ignore it. “And here you are, with her in your arms. And maybe you are going to smell like her perfume later.”

That had happened once before, Betty had been walking Veronica home after cheerleading practice and Veronica had thrown herself against Betty and not let go of her. And had insisted she was fine with glistening eyes. And Jughead had raised an eyebrow in her direction when she met him later at the trailer.

“Is it common for girls to smell like their best friend?” he had asked, looking like he was trying his hardest not to laugh and she had thrown a pillow at him. 

“Let’s do this.” Veronica says, finally stepping back and grins at Betty. All teeth. She can’t remember the last time Veronica’s smile was this wide. This genuine. Maybe, it was at the swimming hole. When Archie was still there and their quartet was complete. Before it all went to shit. And Betty notices that Veronica’s not wearing any makeup. And if Veronica Lodge with makeup is striking, Betty thinks, Veronica Lodge without makeup, is breathtaking. And Betty prefers the one without makeup. Because it makes Veronica look softer. Like someone Betty could touch. Like someone who is human. Like someone who could be her friend. 

“Yeah. Let’s do this.” she echoes, smiling back and opens the passenger side door for Veronica. “I’ll take your bag.”

“And they say chivalry is dead.” Veronica comments, climbing into the car and Betty closes Veronica’s door before throwing her bag into the backseat and sprinting around to the driver’s side. “Wow. Are these for me?”

“The yellow’s for friendship.” she says, smiling sheepishly as Veronica smells the roses she had picked up on the way to the Pembrooke. 

“You’re such a dork.” Veronica says, shaking her head fondly and Betty snorts. 

“Did you just call yourself a dork?” she says, smirking and watches Veronica sputter, trying to come up with an excuse. 

“I claim temporary insanity at that time.” Veronica declares, banging her fist against the dashboard like a judge and Betty grins.

“Sure. Whatever you say.” Betty says, still smirking and turns on the ignition.

“B, I was just thinking. Do we have to go to your house now? Like right now?” Veronica asks, chewing her lip nervously and Betty turns to raise an eyebrow at her.

“Do you want to grab something at Pop’s first?” she suggests, squinting at Veronica and Veronica shakes her head. Hugs her knees to her chest and rests her head on top of them. Looks at Betty sideways. It breaks Betty’s heart how young Veronica looks. How vulnerable. How lonely.

“Could we just drive around aimlessly for a bit? I don’t feel like being inside a house right now.” she says, quietly and Betty nods. “If that’s okay with you, of course.”

“Hey, I think that’s a great idea.” Betty agrees, grinning and reaches over the gearshift to squeeze Veronica’s hand. “I know just the place.” 

And there they are. Driving along, above, a long, winding road leading away from Riverdale. With their windows down. And a soft pop song playing on the radio. And, Betty watches Veronica watching the trees disappear from her window, her midnight black hair swirling wildly with the wind, the small smile on her face. 

“What if we left right now? What if we left and never came back? Never looked back?” she thinks, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel to the tune of the song playing and Veronica turns to look at her with surprise. And Betty realizes that she has said it out loud. 

“You are thinking of leaving Riverdale?” Veronica asks, her eyebrows almost disappearing into her hair and Betty shrugs.

“No. No.” she says, quickly and Veronica crosses her arms against her chest. Gives her a stern look that makes Betty want to admit to everything she has ever done. “Not more than usual.”

“We’ll leave one day, B. I promise.” she says earnestly and covers Betty’s hand with hers. “Just not today. Do you trust me?”

“Yeah. I do.” Betty says, smiling at Veronica and lets her hand rest on top of Betty’s. Tries not to imagine a future away from Riverdale. Tries to stay in the moment with Veronica still looking at her with an expression she can’t decipher. The cold, almost biting air on her face, the unintelligible lyrics of the song playing on the radio, the almost full moon hiding and appearing from behind the clouds at its own will, the dull, intermittent yellow light of the street lamps and the faint smell of maple. 

“Oh. I almost forgot.” she says, tearing her eyes away from the road and looks over at Veronica. “There’s something for you in the dashboard.”

“Aww.” Veronica coos, smiling at Betty and removes her hand from on top of Betty’s to open the dashboard. Waggles her eyebrows at Betty. “Is it a gift for me?”

“Maybe.” she admits, shrugging and adjusts the rearview mirror. It doesn’t need adjusting but it’s something to do. Something that’ll hide the fact that her hands are shaking.

“Betty.” Veronica says, shakily and Betty’s head snaps in her direction. Follows her gaze until she sees what Veronica’s looking at. The gun. Sitting on top of the box of chocolate cupcakes she had baked for Veronica.

“Oh shit.” is the only thought that pops into her head.

“What if it accidentally goes off?” Veronica asks, looking like she’s seen a ghost, her voice all high and wobbly. Her hand clenched around her pearls so tightly that her knuckles are white. And Betty has never hated herself more than she does now. 

“The safety’s on. It won’t go off. I promise.” she says, her voice cracking and Veronica nods, looking unconvinced. 

“Shit. I’m so sorry, Ronnie. You weren’t supposed to see that.” she says, breathlessly and leans over to shut the dashboard. Wonders if she can still take Veronica’s hand in hers. Wonders if Veronica will let her.

“Why do you have a gun? Where did you get it from?” Veronica asks, quickly, her questions blending in with each other and Betty inhales sharply. “Does Jughead know?”

“It’s a family heirloom.” she says, trying to diffuse the tension and Veronica punches her lightly in the shoulder.

“Don’t joke about that.” Veronica says, sternly and flashes Betty a worried glance. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah. I’m okay.” she says, dismissively and Veronica stares at her, biting the inside of the cheek. That meant she was going to ask something she wasn’t sure if she should ask. If it was her place to ask.

“Is it because of the creature in the woods - the Gargoyle king? Or is it because of your father?” she asks, gently and Betty’s hands tighten on the steering wheel. Shit, she had forgotten how perceptive Veronica was. 

“Either.” she whispers, keeping her eyes trained on the road. Tries to summon the courage to turn around and look Veronica in the eye. “Both.”

“I’m sorry, B. I shouldn’t have reacted like that.” Veronica says, placing a hand on Betty’s arm and Betty relaxes slightly. “It’s just, I see a gun and all I can see is Clifford Blossom shooting his own son. The killer my dad hired almost shooting my mom. The gun in my mom’s hand after she killed Papa Poutine. The gun that shot Fred Andrews. The gun Archie bought from somewhere after Fred got shot. The gun that’s the reason he’s in juvie right now.” 

“I’m so sorry, V.” she says, softly and mentally curses herself for being so careless. “I should’ve known. I should have kept it somewhere else. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, B.” Veronica says, giving her a reassuring smile and Betty lets out the breath she’s been holding. “The Gargoyle king? Do you think he’s human?”

“You think he’s not?” she asks, whirling around to look at Veronica in surprise and Veronica shrugs lightly.

“I’m not saying he’s not human.” Veronica says, propping her legs on the dashboard and adjusts her seat so that she’s sprawling in the passenger seat. Like she’s vacationing in Hawaii or the Maldives. “It just, it won’t surprise me much if he turns out to be not human.”

“Honestly, same.” Betty says, snorting and a corner of Veronica’s lips lift up in amusement. “If someone comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, the Gargoyle king isn’t human.’, I’d go, ‘Oh okay, do you know something else about him?’.”

“You didn’t answer my question from before.” Veronica remarks, pretending to examine her fingernails and Betty hums in reply. “Does Jughead know? That you’re carrying a gun?”

“No.” Betty says, stiffening and Veronica raises an eyebrow at her. “Don’t tell him. Please.”

“Relax, B. You know I won’t.” Veronica says, soothingly and her shoulders slump in relief. “Just why haven’t you told him?” 

“I don’t want him to worry. He already has so much going on. With the Serpents and Archie and G&G.” she explains, flashing Veronica a pleading look and Veronica nods. “I don’t want to be something he has to worry about.”

“It’s not fair, B. He has a right to know.” Veronica says, softly and she shakes her head, her ponytail swinging from side to side. 

“That I’m paranoid? That I’m delusional? No thanks.” she snaps and Veronica flinches. And Betty regrets it immediately. “Shit, I’m so sorry.” 

“He won’t think any differently of you. You know that. He only wants you to be okay...” Veronica says, trailing off as she realizes what she just said. That she has probably, accidentally, indirectly complimented Jughead. “Don’t tell him I told you this. He’ll probably accuse me of conspiracy.”

“Yeah. Probably.” she says, chuckling and takes Veronica’s hand in hers. “Ronnie, I know that you’re worried and that you’re scared. But I promise I’ll only use it in case of self-defense. I won’t touch it unless someone tries to shoot me first. And even then, I’ll only shoot them in the leg or in the shoulder. Somewhere that won’t kill them. I promise, okay? Do you trust me?”

“I do, Betty.” Veronica says, earnestly and her gaze trails to the closed dashboard. “I know you’re not a killer. That you don’t have a bad bone in your body.”

“Do you?” Betty blurts out and turns to look at Veronica, her sea green eyes wide and shining. “I almost killed Chuck. Almost killed Nick. Probably killed Chic. What if I am just like my father? It’s his blood flowing through my veins. What if I’m going to end up just like him? What if someday I wake up and the wig and the clothes just aren’t enough?”

“I know you, Betty Cooper. I know that you are not your father. You are kind and smart and selfless and there’s so much light in you.” Veronica says defiantly, taking Betty’s hand and traces small circles on it. “And I’m not letting you go over to the dark side. I’ll drag your ass back to the light before you can even contemplate it. Like the kids say, over my dead body.”

“Yeah. That’s what I am afraid of.” she mumbles and Veronica scoffs.

“Oh please. I have taken self defense classes since I was eight. I could totally take you in a fight.” Veronica says, tossing her hair over her shoulder dramatically and a small smile blooms on the corner of Betty’s mouth. “I took Reggie Mantle, six feet of pure muscle, down with a single punch.” 

“You took self defense classes?” she says, surprised by the new piece of information and Veronica shrugs, all dismissive and modest.

“Yup. Along with music, ballet, piano, foreign languages and etiquette.” Veronica says, raising a finger with every item she mentions and Betty stares blankly at her. “What? Daddy wanted me to be, quote, ‘well-rounded’.” 

“Jesus. Rich people.” Betty says, shaking her head and Veronica chuckles. “You know, I just thought that I’d hate him after finding out what he did. But, he’s still the guy who would make me smiley-face pancakes on Sundays. Who’d attend all my parent-teacher conferences and plays. Who’d hold my hand on first days of school. Who’d sneak me milkshakes after my mom made me cry. Who’d give me extra money every time there was a book fair at school. Who’d take me to dentist appointments and hair cuts and parks. Who’d make me tea when I would stay up late studying. Who kept my articles pinned on the Register’s corkboard and would brag about them to anyone who listened. I thought that, once I found out who the Black Hood was, I would have to keep myself from killing him with my own hands. Now, I can’t even bring myself to hate him. I don’t know if it makes me some kind of monster.” 

“Maybe, it just makes you human.” Veronica says, smiling gently and stares out of the window, sighing. “You know, when I was six, I bought this suit from somewhere. Because that’s what Daddy wore and I wanted to be just like him. And I wore that everyday, without fail, for an entire year. I’d come home after school and I’d wear it. I would even sleep in it. My mom tried bribing me, scolding me, grounding me but in the end nothing stopped me from wearing it. That was how much I idolized him. And now, even though I have stopped idolizing him, I don’t think I’ve stopped loving him. And that should be okay.” 

“Why are even your embarrassing stories endearing?” she says, rolling her eyes and Veronica laughs, throwing her head back.

“Well, I don’t know how to drive. I tried to drive once and totaled a car. And daddy had to pay a shit ton of money to make sure I didn’t have a record. There you go. Something embarrassing.” Veronica says, shrugging and Betty almost slams the brakes in surprise.

“Really?” she asks, narrowing her eyes at Veronica and Veronica nods, turning a bright shade of red. “I could teach you sometime, you know.”

“Yeah. You could teach me sometime.” Veronica echoes, simply and turns to face Betty. “So what’s my favorite foe doing tonight?” 

“Oh. He has this Serpent thing.” she says, trying to keep her voice level and Veronica deadpans. “Fine. That was code for he’s playing G&G with the Serpents.”

“Really?” Veronica says, her eyes widening and Betty nods, clenching her fists. “B, you’re doing the hand thing.”

“Sorry. It’s a reflex.” she says, unclenching her fists and instead tightens them on the steering wheel. The leather digs into her palms, rough and unforgiving and forces her to focus. On the road. On the conversation.

“Want to talk about it?” Veronica suggests, leaning forward and subtly checks Betty’s hands. 

“Do you ever get tired of saving people?”, she says, leaning back against her seat, sighing and Veronica gives her an encouraging nod with a look on her face that says ‘Girl, I could tell you stories’. “Like sometimes, I feel like screaming, ‘Why can’t you all just make good decisions? Why do I always have to be the one that has to step in and save all your asses?’” 

“I know. You think you can redeem yourself by saving others. Like that’ll make you happy.” Veronica says, wringing her hands together in her lap and Betty nods. “But it just makes you more unhappy. More empty.” 

“Every time, something happens I want to be like, ‘Nope, not this time.’.” she says, shaking her head and Veronica frowns. “Then, I think, I already am a terrible human being. Maybe, if I save these people, that’ll balance each other out.” 

“You’re not a terrible human being, B.” Veronica argues and Betty opens her mouth to protest. “You held me when I broke down in your arms. You supported me when I went to the hospital to meet Ethel’s dad. You did everything you could to save FP from jail. You saved Kevin from being potentially murdered in the woods. I could go on about everything you do for other people. You’re the most sincere and compassionate person I’ve ever met.” 

“But I said all those awful things to you.” Betty says, clenching her jaw and holds up a hand to cut off Veronica. “And, I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry I called you privileged, I had no right to do that, you know, because I’m white and you’re… non-white. And I am sorry that I slut shamed you. I should’ve known better. It wasn’t okay when Chuck did that and it wasn’t okay when Jughead and I did that. I really am sorry, V. And I baked some chocolate cupcakes to go with the apology, you know, Veronica Lodge style, but then you saw the gun and I got side tracked. But, I really am sorry, Ronnie. I hope you can forgive me.”

“I accept your apology, B. Just the fact that you realized that you were unfair and apologized for it is enough. It takes so much courage to do that.” Veronica says, sincerely and then snorts. “Honestly? Non- white?”

“I didn’t know which term would be non offensive.” she says, blushing and glances at Veronica from the corner of her eye, trying to gauge her reaction. “Do you want me to get the cupcakes?” 

“Yes, please.” Veronica says, removing her legs from the dashboard and Betty reaches over to close Veronica’s eyes gently before opening the dashboard. “By the way, Latina is fine, you know.”

“Noted.” she says, nodding and places the box of cupcakes on Veronica’s lap.

“Holy. These are delicious.” Veronica gasps, taking a bite of the cupcake and turns to look at Betty in mock outrage. “How could you hide the fact that you could bake from me?”

“In my defense, I only started baking recently.” she says, ducking her head abashedly and Veronica gives her a disbelieving look. “Really.”

“Fine.” Veronica says, still looking unconvinced and then straightens in her seat, brightening. Grins at Betty, slyly. “Do you want to supply cupcakes to Pop’s? I could add them to the menu and you could get a decent cut. It’s a win-win situation for both of us.”

“Yeah. Why not? I could do with the money.” she says, shrugging and Veronica does a double-take.

”Whoa. Are you having financial problems and not telling me?” Veronica demands, looking offended and Betty’s lip wobbles.

“No.” she says, too quickly and Veronica stares blankly at her. “Not yet, at least. But we’ll be there soon. My mom’s devoted all of the time to the Farm and the Register’s not ours anymore. I don’t know.” 

“Betty.” Veronica huffs, sighing softly and leans back in her seat, closing her eyes. “When my dad was arrested, my mom and I had literally no clue what to do. We were holding each other and sobbing on the street. In our pajamas. We didn’t know where to go or what to do. All our accounts were frozen, they even took our wallets, made us even hand over the jewelry we were wearing. It was a nightmare I wouldn’t wish on anyone. So if you are struggling with money, please, please tell me. Let me help you.”

“When it gets bad, you’ll be the first person to know.” she assures her and Veronica gives her a small nod. “I’ll think of something, Ronnie. I always do.”

“Do you want me to buy you back the Register? Maybe you could start running it again? I could ask Daddy, maybe you two could cut a deal.” Veronica suggests, staring down at her lap and Betty shakes her head vehemently.

“The Blue and Gold is a school newspaper, V. The Register’s not the same. I am not qualified enough and mom’s never home. It’s a dead end.” Betty says, chewing her lip and Veronica flashes her a sympathetic glance. “And I would hate for you to ask a favor of him because of me.”

“Okay.” Veronica says, softly and buries her face into her hands. “It’s all my fault. I never should have let him into this town. Everything that’s happening, that’s happened, it's all my fault.”

“No. It isn’t.” she says, quickly and places a hand on Veronica’s knee. “I know that he threatened you and that you did what you had to do to save your mom. And I know, I would have done the same if I were you. And every choice he made was his alone. None of this was and none of this is your fault.”

“It’s just.” Veronica says, her voice shaking slightly and looks away, taking a deep breath. “Do you miss him? Archie?”

“Yeah.” she says, her voice cracking and watches Veronica wipe a stray tear off her cheek. Pretends that she’s noble enough to not call her on it. “Some days, I wake up and see his empty room and I think, ‘Why is he not ready yet? He’s going to be late to school.’ before I remember. And it breaks my heart every time. Juvie’s going to change him. He’s not going to be the same as before. It changed Jughead and it’s going to change him. And I can’t seem to do a damn thing about it.”

“What happened to Jughead in juvie? Was he- Oh god.” Veronica says, her eyes widening in horror and Betty sees the blood draining out of Veronica’s face.

“Good God, no.” she says, interrupting Veronica’s spiraling and Veronica’s shoulders deflate in relief. “He was quieter, after. Lost in his old world. Before, he at least let Archie in. Me, sometimes. But after, he became very withdrawn. He always felt like Archie had let him down after that. Took him months to get back to normal. And he never told us what happened there, not even Archie, not even now. Archie could have gone to the end of the world and Jughead would have followed him, no questions asked. But Archie has been in juvie for weeks now and Jughead still hasn’t visited him. So, something must have happened, right? Something bad.”

“We’ll get him out soon, B. I promise.” Veronica says, resolutely and Betty throws her a questioning glance. “Before those slimy bastards can even think of doing anything to him.”

“You have a plan.” Betty remarks, sounding relieved and Veronica nods, a small smile playing on her lips.

“It’s kind of vague but yeah.” Veronica says, grinning and she grins back at her. “I have a plan.” 

“If you need anything. Anything at all-” Betty says, sincerely, holding out her hand halfway and Veronica takes it. 

“I know, Betty.” Veronica says, smiling and locks their fingers together. “As soon as I have it fleshed out, you’ll be the first I call.”

“Look. That’s where the Serpents are meeting today.” Betty says, pointing to a spot at the top of the mountain where there is faint movement and Veronica squints, trying to follow Betty’s gaze. “Can you even see that far without your glasses?”

“Ha. Ha. Very funny.” Veronica says, rolling her eyes and whips her head in Betty’s direction.

“Betty.” Veronica says, frowning and Betty stares at her, blinking innocently. “Why are you not at the meeting? We could have done this any day, you know that, right?” 

“Hey. Don’t feel guilty.” she says, reaching over and squeezes Veronica’s shoulder. “I wanted to be here. With you. It was my choice.”

“Why?” Veronica asks, crossing her arms and Betty sighs, rubbing her fingers against her forehead.

“Before all this, whenever I used to tag along to Serpent meetings with Jug, Toni would roll her eyes every time I said something. Fangs would mutter something, no doubt, insulting in Spanish. Sweet Pea would just walk out of the room.” she says, shaking her head and Veronica stares at her, uncomprehending. “But now, they just keep quiet. I won’t say they are accepting me, but they are tolerating me. Because of my dad. Because they feel pity for me.”

“And that is a bad thing?” Veronica says, confused and Betty nods, taking a deep breath.

“I don’t want to be treated differently. Like I’m fragile and helpless.” she says, sounding defeated and Veronica rolls her eyes.

“There’s something else too, isn’t it?” Veronica says, narrowing her eyes and Betty sputters.

“You can’t tell anyone but I’m kind of second guessing this whole ‘Serpent Queen’ thing.” she admits and Veronica gapes at her. “At first, I just didn’t want to make Jughead choose between me and the Southside. And then, Jughead was just looking at me with these huge eyes and it was such a sweet moment and I didn’t want to let him down. But, now, I don’t know, I feel like an impostor. Like, I get what they have been through and I want to help them fight against the system. But at the end of the day, they deserve better than me. Someone who wears the jacket out of pride, not of obligation. Someone who doesn’t remove the jacket the moment they step into the Northside.”

“B, it’s okay if you’re having second thoughts about all this. We all make hasty decisions, wrong choices but that doesn’t mean we have to live with them. Maybe, this whole gang life thing just isn’t for you. That shouldn't matter to Jughead. And I know it won’t. He loves you for who you are, not who you could be.” Veronica argues, fiercely and Betty gives her a watery smile. “Shit, why do I keep complimenting Jughead? But you have to tell him, Betty. The longer you stay silent, the easier it gets to stay silent and the harder it gets to speak out.” 

“I know.” she says, sighing and Veronica rubs her shoulder, sympathetically. “It’s just I’m scared that if I tell him this, it will be the final nail in the coffin, that he’ll choose the Southside over me, that he’ll get on his bike and never look back.”

“You really think he’ll choose being a Serpent over being your boyfriend?” Veronica asks, her eyebrows knitting together in concern and Betty gives her a sad smile.

“From childhood, Jughead has never truly belonged anywhere. He was too Southside for Northside and too Northside for Southside. So, he always keeps searching for places to belong to and he gets obsessed with everything that resonates with him. And that means he goes through these phases.” Betty explains, taking a deep breath and Veronica tilts her head to her side. “His first phase was Archie. Archie was this friendly, outgoing popular kid and Jughead was just this weird loner, outsider. But then they became friends and Archie stood up for Jughead, made him feel safe. And Jughead thought maybe he could fit in with Archie and his perfect Northside family. That didn’t go as planned after juvie. Then, Jughead went through a comic book phase, a video game phase and then was this foreign film phase, then an emo poetry phase-”

“An emo poetry phase?” Veronica interrupts, looking thrilled and Betty groans. “Sorry, continue.”

“You’re not allowed to use that for blackmail.” she says, exasperated and Veronica mimes a zipping motion over her mouth. “So, my point is, maybe, Southside is just a phase. But for the first time, Jughead has found something, somewhere where he fits. Where he feels accepted and recognized. He would die for the Serpents and he almost did. And he won’t give it up easily, after everything they have done for him. And if I don’t fit in with his world, I don’t know if he will even want me to be a part of his world.”

“Betty, he’s known you longer than he’s known the Southside. And he is dumb, don’t get me wrong, but not dumb enough to give you up. You have nothing to worry about.” Veronica assures her and she shakes her head. “If he tries to pull shit like that, I will punch him in the throat.”

“Thanks, V.” she says, snorting and Veronica imitates a punching motion with her fists to reassure Betty. “Enough about me. Tell me about you. How are the plans for the Speakeasy going? And have you lost weight? Kevin was saying something about it the other day and I noticed it too. Are you eating properly?”

“It’s just after working at Pop’s and seeing all that food, it has kind of made me lose my appetite. Nothing to worry about.” Veronica says, nonchalantly and Betty raises an eyebrow at her.

“For all your strengths, Ronnie, you’re shit at lying.” she says, narrowing her eyes at Veronica and Veronica sighs, pressing her fingers against her eyes. “So, just go ahead and tell me the truth.”

“Sometimes, I feel guilty.” Veronica says, shrinking onto herself and Betty’s glare softens. “When I’m hanging out with Cheryl and Toni or goofing around with Kevin, I suddenly think, it’s my fault Archie’s in juvie, how can I have fun while he’s rotting in a cell because of me. And I don’t eat, you know, because he’s not eating.”

“Ronnie.” she says, sharply and watches Veronica blink rapidly, trying to stop herself from crying. “I know you feel guilty but you not eating isn’t going to help anyone. Archie wouldn’t want this. He’ll want you to be happy. It would kill him if he finds out you’re starving yourself out here because of him. Archie needs you and you have to be strong for him, if not for yourself. Promise me you won’t do something stupid like this again.”

“I promise.” Veronica whispers and Betty nods, not taking her eyes off Veronica.

“We’ll order pizza tonight.” she says, flashing Veronica a warning glance, as though daring her to disagree with her and Veronica raises her hands in mock surrender. “I’ll make you brownies tomorrow. And we’ll have dinner at Pop’s.”

“Yeah, sure. Why not?” Veronica says, throwing her hands in the air dramatically and Betty gives her a pleased smile. “There’s something else I have to tell you. It’ll be bad if you find out yourself, so I’ll just tell you. I’m not sleeping at home. I’m kind of living at the Speakeasy. It’s not bad, it has air conditioning and the booths are comfortable.”

“You’re not living at home?” she booms, throwing Veronica a withering look and Veronica freezes. “Your first instinct should have been, ‘Oh, I should call Betty and ask her to come pick me up’. But no, you stay in a half-finished Speakeasy for god knows how long and you have the audacity to tell me that the booths are comfortable.”

“I know. I know. I’m sorry. But you already had so much on your plate.” Veronica says, wringing her hands together nervously and Betty scoffs.

“Nope. Why can’t you just admit that it’s easier for you to help others than ask for help yourself? Why don’t you never tell me when you’re struggling?” she asks, closing her eyes, trying to stay calm and Veronica frowns. “Tomorrow, you’re going to the Speakeasy and packing everything you have and you are coming to live with me. And that’s final.”

“Fine, mom.” Veronica says, rolling her eyes and Betty gives her an unimpressed glance.

“Keep talking like that and I’ll ground you. You don’t want to test me right now.” she says, glaring daggers at Veronica and Veronica pouts.

“Fine. I’m sorry. I should have told you right away.” Veronica says, groaning and Betty looks over at Veronica, her anger ebbing away. “I don’t have enough money to fly in apology cupcakes and not enough skills to bake them but I still am sorry.”

“Still grounding you.” she says, trying to keep the amusement from her voice and Veronica perks up. “Fine, you’re ungrounded. But next time, something happens, anything happens, you come straight to me, okay?”

“Thanks, mom. You’re the best.” Veronica says, grinning and Betty sighs, exasperatedly.

“Enough of that now.” she says, rubbing her eyes tiredly and Veronica nods. 

“Jarchie.” Veronica blurts out and Betty rolls her eyes. “Are they merely platonic? Or do we have something to worry about? It’s just you mentioned that Jughead was obsessed with Archie when they were young and that got me wondering. And your ‘would follow him to the end of the world, no questions asked’ comment wasn’t exactly helpful either.”

“Jughead’s a little obsessed with everyone. It’s nothing to worry about.” she says, dismissively and Veronica crosses her arms, unconvinced. “Also, I’m going to monitor your conversations with Kevin. How does he even come up with these ship names?”

“And Archie is a little in love with everyone.” Veronica says, sighing and Betty stiffens. “Seems like the perfect recipe for disaster.”

“Hey. Look at me. That’s like literally never gonna happen, okay? And if it does happen, we’ll deal with it then. No point in crying over milk that you’re not even sure is gonna spill, right?” she says, reassuringly and Veronica gives her a small smile. 

“Right.” Veronica says, tucking her hair behind her ear and turns to face Betty. “Today was really nice.”

“Yeah. It really was one of the best nights of my life. I even felt a little like a teenager.” Betty says, taking Veronica’s hand in hers and Veronica chuckles. “We should do this again.”

“Yeah. We should.” Veronica says, smiling and tucks her leg under her. “Can we get milkshakes at Pop’s?”

“It’s literally two in the morning.” Betty says, furrowing her eyebrows and Veronica pouts. 

“Yeah so?” she says, raising an eyebrow and Betty sighs.

“Yeah sure. Why not?” Betty says, shrugging and Veronica beams. 

“And we are back in Riverdale.” Veronica remarks, her smile faltering and jerks her head at the ‘Welcome to Riverdale, the town with pep.’ board. “Great.”

“Hey. We’ll face whatever is to come together.” Betty says, resolutely, squeezing Veronica’s hand and Veronica gives her a half-smile. “B and V, right?”

“B and V, now, that’s a duo you can believe in.” Veronica says, raising her chin defiantly and Betty shakes her head, smiling fondly.

“A duo you can believe in.” she echoes, squeezing Veronica’s hand and doesn’t let go.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Hope you liked this. I've been meaning to write this for a while now even though I've pretty much stopped shipping Beronica. Betty was probably very ooc in this fic because she never recognizes and apologizes for her behavior. Hope that changes in Season 5. Also, there was so much hand holding, sorry for that. The title is taken from this song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7oP0zz0ggg&ab_channel=AYOKAYVEVO. It's a pretty great song, do give it a try. Also, leave a comment if you find a typo. Thanks.


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